Smith to self-distribute 'Red State' on October 19
Posted Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 10:28 PM Central
Last updated Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 11:14 PM Central
by John Couture
Last week, we pointed out the parallelism between Kevin Smith's first trip to Sundance with Clerks and tonight's debut of his latest film Red State. Little did we know how much we had hit the nail on the head.
After tonight's Sundance screening, Smith made good on his promise to auction off the distribution rights during the allotted Q&A. The twist was there was only one bidder and the winning bid was a measly $20, according to reports out of Park City, Utah.
Instead of selling the rights to his movie to an established film company, Smith will release Red State theatrically nationwide on October 19, 2011 under his own, new SModcast Pictures banner. Prior to the October 19 wide release, Smith will travel the country and show the film in select cities starting with New York City and Radio City Music Hall on March 5.
The October 19 release date is one that holds significance for Smith, it's the day that Miramax released Clerks in 1994. Smith also promises that he won't buy any TV spots or traditional advertising ahead of the release, instead relying on word of mouth from the advance screenings and through his successful podcast network.
After the release of his next film Hit Somebody, which he claims will be his last movie, Kevin Smith said that he intends to use the SModcast Pictures banner to release other indie movies. So, it seems that Smith's next challenge will a bit removed from the creative side of making films and more on the marketing and selling side.
Sure, it's a heck of a risk and a departure from the area of his expertise, but I think if he's proven anything over the course of the last year, it's his resiliency. Kevin is a filmmaker obviously, but at the end of the day, the thing that he's best at is self-promotion.
He knows he has a pulpit and he knows how to use it. Over the last year, we've seen it time and again with how he uses Social Media tools like twitter and podcasts to not only connect, but to excite his overwhelming fan base. Sure, his new venture will ruffle a few feathers of the establishment, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
As the old song says, "the times, they are a changin'" and Kevin Smith is just wise enough to stay one step ahead of it.
What do you think of Kevin's tactics concerning Red State? Genius or foolish? Next Friday, we get a chance to sit down and watch Red State in a special screening and hopefully get the chance to ask Smith some questions about this new direction for him.
You can get the full tour information here and there's a link there where you can request a screening in your hometown. Tickets go on sale on Friday, January 28. Also, here's a link with a statement from Jon Gordon and Kevin Smith detailing their new venture.